Method of separating liquids.



No. 854,295. PATENTED MAY 21. 1907. S. M. KINTNER &c W. W. HANKS.

METHOD OF SEPARATING LIQUIDS. APPLIOATION FILED MOA', 1905.

WITNESSES:

INVENTORS WMJW !Z 73 [i I 4 I m C /Ho BY 7 ATTIORNEY v UNITED sTArEs PATENT OFFICE;

SAMUEL M. KINTNER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WILLIAM W. HANKS, OF DURHAM, N ORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A QORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

No. &54,295

mET-oD OF SEPARATING LIQUIDS.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed December 4, 1905. Serial No. 290.307.

To all whom it may concrn:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL M. KINTNER and WILLIAM W. HANKS, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania', and of Durham, in the county of Durham and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Separating Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to methods of sepai rating the constituents of a mixture of liquids and it has for its object to provide a novel and improved method of separating liquids having different properties. i

It is a usual practice to immerse trans- Eormers and certain other electrical translating devices in oil in order that effective convection currents may be produced for cooling the immersed devices. The oil also serves to improve the insulation but its delectric strength depends largely upon its freedom from moisture.

i ,tion of the device, it cools and moistureladen air is drawn into the receptacle where the moisture condenses Large amounts of water have m ths manner been introduced into receptacles and mixed with the oil therein, the removal of which has necessitated indefinite discontinuance of operation of the immersed devices.

Because of the difierence in the specific gravity of water and that of oil, the Water will settle to the bottom of the receptacle containing the m'xture and we have discovered that it may then be removed by means of a filter composed of plaster of paris or of some other porous substance that permits of passage of water through it but prevents the passage of oil. By a suitable arrangement of apparatus we are thus enabled to remove water from oil without discontinuing the operation of the device that is immcrsed thcrem.

The single figure of the accompaying drawing is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of means for practicing our mvention.

The oil with which the receptacles for electrical translating devices are ordinaril y filled may be pumped through a circulating system (not shown) that comprises a settling reservoir 1, into and out of which the oil is conducted by means of inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3, respectively, the water that is mixed with the oil settling to the bottom of the reservoir. A communicating passage is rovided, by neans of a pipe 4, between the otton of the reservoir and a chamber 5 in the upper part of a filtering device 6 that comprses upper and lower sections 7 and 8 having a screw threaded or other connection, and a plate 9 of a suitable porous substance, such as plaster of paris, that may be formed or molded in circumferential grooves 10 in the inner surface of the lower section 8 whereby it is Secured in position. A valve ll may be provided in the pi e 4 by means of which the oil may be exclu ed from the filter in order to facilitate cleaning and repairing thereof or for other reasons, and oil and water may b'e drained from the chamber 5 by means of an eXhaust cock 12.

We have discovered that if the plate 9 is composed of nlaster of paris or of some other similar porous substance, water will readily pass through it but oil Will not, this action being due to the fact that the liquids have different de rees of capillarity for the substance, suc that water will be drawn through the plate by capillary attraction while oil will not. The water may then be permitted to drop from the lower exposed sprface of the plate 9 into a suitable receptac e.

We claim as our invention:

i. The method of separating liquids of different specific gravities which consist in settling the liquid of highest specific gravity and filtering it through a substance for which the liquids have different degrees of capillarity.

2. The method of separating liquids of different specific gravities which consists in settling the liquid of highest specific gravity and filtering it through a substance which is substantially impervious to the other liquid.

3. The method of separating liquids of dift tering 'the liquid of high specific gravity- A ferent specific gravities which consists in settling the li uid of hhest specific gravity and e filterin it t rough aster of pa's. 4.- T emethod o separating liquidsof different specifi gravities which consists in filth'ough e substance Whlh is `substantielly impervious to the other lquid-.

.5.- The method of separatinglq ids of differc'nt specific gravities which consists `in 'fil tel-ing the li uid of `high specific gravity throu h a su stance for which the liquids have ifl'e'rent de' rees of capillarity.

6. The metho of separating liquids of different specific gra-vities which consists in filtering the liquid of high specific gravity throuh plaster of paris.

7. he method. of separating the constituent liquids of a mixture which consists in filtering one liquid through a substance for WhlCh the other has a difleren degree of capillarity.

In testmony whereof, we have hereunto i subscribed our names this 28th day of No- -vember, 1905.

SAMUEL M. KINTNER. WM."W. HANKS.

witnesses:

A. M. SKINNER, BIRNE HINES. I 

